By Michael Hutton 

Ortho-k opticians  have good news for Simon Cowell - they can correct short-sightedness by fitting special overnight contact lenses which are only worn while sleeping then removed the following morning giving the wearer perfect daytime vision. Previously, only laser surgery could enable short-sighted people to throw away their glasses or daytime contact lenses but now overnight ortho-k corrective contact lenses can provide all the benefits of laser surgery - but without the surgery. For Simon Cowell, this could be the news he has been waiting for since this well-known daytime contact lens wearer - who always likes to look his best - has twice had to resort to wearing geeky glasses in public, glasses which some have likened to those worn by Harry Potter.

So how do these new overnight lenses work? "Simples", as a celebrity meerkat might say. The bespoke lenses are custom-made using data from a special computerised device - a topographer - which precisely maps the surface of the eyes. Inserted at night before going to bed, the lenses gently flatten the surface of the eyes during sleep to ensure that light focuses directly on the retina at the back of the eyes rather than in front of it so correcting the focusing distance for short-sighted people. The effect lasts for over 24 hours so the lens wearer enjoys perfect vision from the moment the lenses are removed in the morning until they are reinserted at night. The only catch is that there are relatively few ortho-k opticians  - and none of the High Street chains offer this treatment.

However, as more people become aware of this unique new treatment - a true non-surgical alternative to laser surgery - it will become more widely available across the UK. Whilst its scientific name - "orthokeratology" - is a bit of a mouthful, it is increasingly becoming known as "Overnight Vision Correction" or "OVC" and it has obvious benefits for people with an active lifestyle who are fed up wearing glasses or daytime contact lenses. More interestingly, research from around the world has shown that children who are prescribed OVC  to correct their short-sightedness do not experience any further deterioration in their prescription. So OVC can not only provide a great way of correcting short-sightedness - it can also stop it getting worse. It seems like all short-sighted people should be forming a queue behind Simon Cowell to see their nearest ortho-k opticians !

Check if you are suitable for overnight ortho-k corrective contact lenses for short-sightedness .